Thomas Gainsborough

(1727-88) an English artist. He was influenced by Dutch artists such as Rubens and Van Dyck, and became famous for his landscapes(= pictures of the countryside) and his portraits(= pictures of people), usually of members of the aristocracy. He often combined both skills and painted his portraits with outdoor country backgrounds, representing the effects of light on people's clothes or on trees, etc. His best-known paintings are probably The Blue Boy and Mr and Mrs Andrews.